Physical description

Painting, in watercolour and tin alloy on paper, the churning of the ocean by a deva and danava.

Place of Origin

Kolkata (made)

Date

ca. 1890 (made)

Artist/maker

Unknown

Materials and Techniques

Painted in watercolour and tin alloy on paper

Marks and inscriptions

'samudra manthana'
'churning of the ocean'
handwritten in Bengali

Object history note

Historical significance: Calcutta was recognised as the Capital of British India from 1833-1912. By the 1830s, artists had arrived from rural villages in Bengal and began to produce paintings that reflected local history, mythology, customs and conflicts of a colonised society. As a popular art form, these artists are recognised for their use of brilliant colour, simplified images and swift brushstrokes that became the hallmark of Kalighat painting in the 19th and early 20th century.